Knife Essentials

Knife Safety Always cut with blade of knife angled away from you Always use cutting board – keep it firmly in place by planting a damp towel or paper towel underneath Use right knife for job Hand-wash your knives and dry thoroughly Store knives properly Don’t catch falling knife Never try to open can or bottle with knife Never cut anything that is placed in your hand

Knife Safety Continued… When not using knife, place it flat on work surface with sharp edge of blade facing board Never leave knives near or hanging over edge of surface where they could be knocked Keep you knife in sight Never carry a knife with point facing forwards or on chopping boards Never use damaged knife and keep knives sharp Always hold knife by handle with knives blade down Store knives in blade-down position with blade covered

Cross-contamination by Knives Knives can spread harmful bacteria if not kept clean Knives must be washed and cleaned after every use and immediately before a new task This process ensures the wrong flavors won’t taint a dish and prevents cross-contamination

Cutting Technique 1.Hold knife at right angle to your body at waist level. Stand with feet flat and should-width apart 2. Keep knife’s tip on your cutting surface 3. You don’t have to cut every last inch of what you are cutting

Types of knives Bread knife: similar to carving knife, with serrated edge- Uses include: slicing loaves of bread Palette knife: either plain-edged or serrated; blade always flexible and rounded at top- Uses include: icing cakes and pastries; turning food over during cooking (such as fish fillets or fritters); moulding and smoothing food; carving (serrated only) Carving knife: also known as meat knives or slicers; have long blades with serrated or plain edge and can be rounded or pointed- Uses include: carving whole hams or slicing smoked salmon Chef’s knives: come in different sizes; strong, rigid blades make them suitable for wide range of jobs- Uses include: dicing, chopping and trimming vegetables, meat and poultry; chopping fresh herbs. Boning knife: has very strong blades that will not bend or break easily; can be straight or curved to suit small and large butchery- Uses include: removing bones from meat joints and poultry Paring knife: this is a small knife and has a thin and slightly flexible blade, making it ideal for detailed work- Uses include: shaping mushrooms, turning carrots. Meat cleaver: large, square blade used for butchery Filleting knife: thin-bladed, flexible and very sharp; can vary in length- Uses: filleting fish Poultry shears: most have serrated blades and are spring-loaded- Uses include: cutting through chicken carcasses

How to Hold a Cook's Knife Many ways to hold a chef’s knife ( "cook’s" knife or "French" knife) but only one way you should hold it – maximizes comfort, precision, control and safety while minimizing fatigue Grip knife around its bolster; bolster is both your knife's balance point and finger guard Only last three fingers should rest on handle Thumb and index finger should be on opposite sides of blade When you hold knife around balance point, it works as extension of your hand

The Guiding Hand Your other hand has key role Stabilizes food you are cutting, guides knife, and determines size of cut Make certain fingers are curled inward and thumb is tucked underneath Side of blade should rest against your knuckles, but never the edge itself

Slice, Don't Chop or Saw! Most knives work best by using forward cutting motion Best slicing motion begins by initiating cut with tip and pushing knife forward across food until you reach heel Only a light touch is required because sharp edge is doing cutting Follow all the way through cut to achieve a fluid motion If you reached heel before completing your cut, pull straight back and repeat forward motion

Cutting Technique Technique 1: For large items which are high above cutting board,start with tip of blade on object Technique 2: For smaller items, start with tip of blade on cutting board Technique 3: A third technique to use with cook's knife is "rocking" motion -Guiding hand will sit on top of blade, helping you pivot knife repeatedly along its curved edge - You never lift knife off your board

Chopping onions, shallots, etc. Cut off stem end and cut in half Peel back skin and remove Place a half, flat side down Using tip of knife, cut vertical slices towards root end, leaving slices attached at the root end Slice through with horizontal cuts again leaving root end intact Slice crosswise up to root end Be certain to follow through with a forward motion

Chopping Parsley and other Herbs Cut off stems and place leaves in a pile on the cutting board, hold and roughly chop Hold handle of knife firmly in one hand, other hand lightly on top of blade Keeping tip in contact with board, rapidly move heel of blade up and down in rocking motion until chopped as fine as desired

Slicing Cylindrical Vegetables - Cucumbers, Zucchini, etc. Trim and peel the vegetable, if necessary. To keep vegetables steady on board, cut in half lengthwise. Cut off the stem end Hold vegetable with curled fingers and thumb tucked behind them Side of blade (not edge) should rest against your knuckles With tip of knife on board, heel of knife raised above vegetable, slice in a downward, forward motion from tip to heel, slicing through using as much of the blade as needed After completing slice, raise heel of knife while pulling back Slide your guiding hand down vegetable and repeat slicing motion

Dicing Knife skills- The Cube Cuts - All the square shaped cuts end up the same size. These square cuts are known as:  Large Dice ¾ x ¾ x ¾  Medium dice ½ x ½ x ½  Small dice ¼ x ¼ x ¼  Brunoise 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8  Fine Brunoise 1/16 x 1/16 x 1/16  Paysanne ½ x 1/5 x 1/8 inch round  Batonnet 2 inches x ¼ x ¼  Julienne 2 inches x 1/8 x 1/8  Fine Julienne 2 inches long x 1/16 x 1/16 Trim and peel vegetables as needed Square the sides Cut into slices of desired thickness Stack the slices and cut these slices equal to thickness of previous cuts, ending up with stick shaped pieces. Holding the sticks together with guiding hand, make crosswise cuts through sticks.

Shredding To cut into thin strips Cut vegetable into quarters through core Cut out core of each quarter Place vegetable quarter on cutting board with flat side down Cut thin shreds using a downward, forward slicing stroke Due to size, it is not always possible to keep knife tip on board Be sure that fingers of guiding hand are curled, holding vegetable with thumb tucked underneath

Chiffonade To cut into very thin strips, much finer than shredding A leafy green such as spinach or a leafy herb such as basil is often prepared in this way Remove stems from leaves and stack a few individual leaves together Roll tightly into cylinder and slice into fine shreds